Chapter 31
Hours past and Tally became more and more depressed. What was wrong? Why hadn't he come. She decided to go and find out for herself. Tally practically marched to his room. He'd had the nerve to start this fight and then not turn up to finish. Tally didn't bother knocking, she just went straight into Legolas' sitting room,
"Legolas, I demand you give me some response. I cannot stay in this state of limbo any longer. It is just cruel. Too cruel."
"I knew you'd come," said a voice behind her. Tally snapped round and saw Legolas, "I just thought you'd have got fed up of waiting sooner. I guess I do not know you as well as I thought." Tally had no response to this, she just watched Legolas and tried to read his mood. He walked in as motioned for her to sit down beside him. She sat down warily, bracing herself for the bad news. "I read your letter. I read it many times, because I could not believe what was written." Tally's heart sank, "Tally you have taught me many things, one of which is to love and how to be loved. You have to love with all your heart for it to be true and lasting, I understand that. You and I, we cannot offer each other that. There will always be things we could never understand or experience about the other. I am thousands of years old, I have fought in many battles and seen many places. You are a child, Tally. A mere baby in this world in which you are going to live an eternity. There are things you are going to want to do and I could not tie you down to one place. You say you can walk the path alone and I do believe you, which is why I think it is best if we do not continue our relationship. We cannot offer each other what we both need."
Yet again Tally was silent. She felt her heart shatter.
"It was foolish for us to get engaged so early on in our acquaintance. Six months? Tally we are going to live forever, that is a short time indeed." Tally felt her eyes prick with familiar tears, "I have spoken to Elrond. I am going to visit the other safe-houses for elves, to meet the rest of my people. I will be gone for many years. I hope you can find happiness for you are my friend and that is all I could wish." Tally got up and left, it was all too much. She ran back to her room and shut herself in. Kaelira and Naela came to see her,
"Tally, we heard Legolas is leaving. We have come to offer you some comfort. We, umm, borrowed this from the kitchen," Kaelira handed Tally a bar of chocolate. Tally only cried more. She reached behind her neck and took off her pendant. She took off her ring and threaded it on the closed the clasp. Tally looked at it in her hand and then stopped crying in disgust at what she saw,
"I hate you, I hate you," she threw the chain at the wall, "How dare you leave me?" and then she broke down again. Kaelira and Naela exchanged worried glances and hugged her tight. Later on Malia joined them. She picked up the pendant, chain and ring and tucked them away to keep safely. She knew not where Legolas' ring was.
That night Tally formed a pact with herself. Everyone she cared about left her, therefore she would never love again. She would be polite and only polite to everyone she knew. She would not get hurt if she did not care quite so much.
The morning after, Tally dressed as formally and as regally as she could and went for breakfast. She smiled cordially at everyone who said good morning, but did not reply back. The gossip had got about of the end of her engagement and Legolas' impending departure had reached almost everyone and those who didn't know were quickly informed of it, so she got many sympathetic looks. Tally ignored them. She was curt and practically rude to Gandalf and Elrond. Later that day she went to Elrond's study and practically demanded a new room, she could no longer think of her bed without thinking of the way she and Legolas had laid together in it. Elrond granted in, surprised at the changed manner of the girl before him.
Tally went about life the best she could. In the time before Legolas' departure, she went about her business, visiting as many of her subjects as she could and spending much of her time with Naela and Kaelira. Tally had confided in them about her pact with herself. They had immediately dismissed it as a stupid idea and that they would never get rid of them to stop them caring. This vexed Tally and she refused to speak to them for days, until Malia demanded she stopped behaving like a spoilt child and apologised.
The day of Legolas' departure drew near. He was taking many elves with him, all curious about the other groups of elves dotted around. Tally knew not how they intended to travel between countries or without drawing attention to themselves, but Gandalf when with them so she supposed there must have been some way. She refused to go to the sending off feast. She had carefully avoided Legolas over the past fortnight, and did not intend on going to a feast in his honour. The next morning he left to a great sending off. Tally remained in her room. Kaelira and Naela were with her, having said goodbye the night before. Both were pleased Legolas hadn't decided to take Ghilad or Talin with him.
After his departure, Tally's life slowly began to get back to normal. There were passing moments when he wasn't foremost in his thoughts and there were some mornings when he wasn't the first thing she thought about. She learnt much from Elrond, continuing her studies of history and language until she was able to write Sindarin as quickly as any elf. Tally also became very interested in Healing and she began to learn from the Healers and from Elrond how to cure people of various ills. Tally moved into a suite of rooms which she could use as a mini-palace. Her staff grew but Malia remained her confidant and lady's maid.
Tally became the Queen she was born to be, caring for her people, taking joy in their accomplishments and weeping with them in their sorrows. She settled disputes fairly and justly and everyone agreed that they could not wish for a more sensible or kindly ruler. Kaelira and Naela were her most valid friends and advisors, save Elrond in that respect, and together with Ghilad and Talin, formed a happy group, laughing together, but it was rare Tally didn't wish Legolas was there with them. They all missed him.
Over the months and then years, it became easier for Tally to bear. She began to convince herself she had stopped loving him. Tally knew she could never love another in the same way. She had laid herself bare in front of someone and they had exposed her. She would not take that risk again, at least not for a long time. Tally stopped playing her piano. The music room remained locked, the key buried in a drawer. It brought back memories of the night he gave it too her which were too painful and she stopped being able to convince herself of her indifference towards him. She remembered every anniversary. Their first meeting and the day she became engaged. The day he left. She watched the love grow in the people around her. Ghilad and Kaelira became practically joined at the hip and Naela and Talin had another two children in that time. Tally became their adopted auntie and she enjoyed playing with them and teaching them, watching them grow. She longed for children of her own, but she had to force her body to realise that was never going to happen now.
Seventeen years later and event happened which threw Tally's life into turmoil again. Ghilad and Kaelira were finally to marry and Legolas was returning to witness the ceremony. Tally had been rocking Lilael, Naela's baby girl to sleep when Kaelira came and broke the news. Outwardly Tally was calm and told the anxious elf that she no longer felt anything for him and smiled to let her know she was fine. Inside, Tally was a mess of jumbled emotions. Excitement, fear, joy, sorrow. She couldn't decide which she felt more, or was it love. Tally concentrated her energies on Naela's children and in throwing Kaelira and Ghilad a great wedding banquet so she could ignore the preparations for Legolas' homecoming.
Hours past and Tally became more and more depressed. What was wrong? Why hadn't he come. She decided to go and find out for herself. Tally practically marched to his room. He'd had the nerve to start this fight and then not turn up to finish. Tally didn't bother knocking, she just went straight into Legolas' sitting room,
"Legolas, I demand you give me some response. I cannot stay in this state of limbo any longer. It is just cruel. Too cruel."
"I knew you'd come," said a voice behind her. Tally snapped round and saw Legolas, "I just thought you'd have got fed up of waiting sooner. I guess I do not know you as well as I thought." Tally had no response to this, she just watched Legolas and tried to read his mood. He walked in as motioned for her to sit down beside him. She sat down warily, bracing herself for the bad news. "I read your letter. I read it many times, because I could not believe what was written." Tally's heart sank, "Tally you have taught me many things, one of which is to love and how to be loved. You have to love with all your heart for it to be true and lasting, I understand that. You and I, we cannot offer each other that. There will always be things we could never understand or experience about the other. I am thousands of years old, I have fought in many battles and seen many places. You are a child, Tally. A mere baby in this world in which you are going to live an eternity. There are things you are going to want to do and I could not tie you down to one place. You say you can walk the path alone and I do believe you, which is why I think it is best if we do not continue our relationship. We cannot offer each other what we both need."
Yet again Tally was silent. She felt her heart shatter.
"It was foolish for us to get engaged so early on in our acquaintance. Six months? Tally we are going to live forever, that is a short time indeed." Tally felt her eyes prick with familiar tears, "I have spoken to Elrond. I am going to visit the other safe-houses for elves, to meet the rest of my people. I will be gone for many years. I hope you can find happiness for you are my friend and that is all I could wish." Tally got up and left, it was all too much. She ran back to her room and shut herself in. Kaelira and Naela came to see her,
"Tally, we heard Legolas is leaving. We have come to offer you some comfort. We, umm, borrowed this from the kitchen," Kaelira handed Tally a bar of chocolate. Tally only cried more. She reached behind her neck and took off her pendant. She took off her ring and threaded it on the closed the clasp. Tally looked at it in her hand and then stopped crying in disgust at what she saw,
"I hate you, I hate you," she threw the chain at the wall, "How dare you leave me?" and then she broke down again. Kaelira and Naela exchanged worried glances and hugged her tight. Later on Malia joined them. She picked up the pendant, chain and ring and tucked them away to keep safely. She knew not where Legolas' ring was.
That night Tally formed a pact with herself. Everyone she cared about left her, therefore she would never love again. She would be polite and only polite to everyone she knew. She would not get hurt if she did not care quite so much.
The morning after, Tally dressed as formally and as regally as she could and went for breakfast. She smiled cordially at everyone who said good morning, but did not reply back. The gossip had got about of the end of her engagement and Legolas' impending departure had reached almost everyone and those who didn't know were quickly informed of it, so she got many sympathetic looks. Tally ignored them. She was curt and practically rude to Gandalf and Elrond. Later that day she went to Elrond's study and practically demanded a new room, she could no longer think of her bed without thinking of the way she and Legolas had laid together in it. Elrond granted in, surprised at the changed manner of the girl before him.
Tally went about life the best she could. In the time before Legolas' departure, she went about her business, visiting as many of her subjects as she could and spending much of her time with Naela and Kaelira. Tally had confided in them about her pact with herself. They had immediately dismissed it as a stupid idea and that they would never get rid of them to stop them caring. This vexed Tally and she refused to speak to them for days, until Malia demanded she stopped behaving like a spoilt child and apologised.
The day of Legolas' departure drew near. He was taking many elves with him, all curious about the other groups of elves dotted around. Tally knew not how they intended to travel between countries or without drawing attention to themselves, but Gandalf when with them so she supposed there must have been some way. She refused to go to the sending off feast. She had carefully avoided Legolas over the past fortnight, and did not intend on going to a feast in his honour. The next morning he left to a great sending off. Tally remained in her room. Kaelira and Naela were with her, having said goodbye the night before. Both were pleased Legolas hadn't decided to take Ghilad or Talin with him.
After his departure, Tally's life slowly began to get back to normal. There were passing moments when he wasn't foremost in his thoughts and there were some mornings when he wasn't the first thing she thought about. She learnt much from Elrond, continuing her studies of history and language until she was able to write Sindarin as quickly as any elf. Tally also became very interested in Healing and she began to learn from the Healers and from Elrond how to cure people of various ills. Tally moved into a suite of rooms which she could use as a mini-palace. Her staff grew but Malia remained her confidant and lady's maid.
Tally became the Queen she was born to be, caring for her people, taking joy in their accomplishments and weeping with them in their sorrows. She settled disputes fairly and justly and everyone agreed that they could not wish for a more sensible or kindly ruler. Kaelira and Naela were her most valid friends and advisors, save Elrond in that respect, and together with Ghilad and Talin, formed a happy group, laughing together, but it was rare Tally didn't wish Legolas was there with them. They all missed him.
Over the months and then years, it became easier for Tally to bear. She began to convince herself she had stopped loving him. Tally knew she could never love another in the same way. She had laid herself bare in front of someone and they had exposed her. She would not take that risk again, at least not for a long time. Tally stopped playing her piano. The music room remained locked, the key buried in a drawer. It brought back memories of the night he gave it too her which were too painful and she stopped being able to convince herself of her indifference towards him. She remembered every anniversary. Their first meeting and the day she became engaged. The day he left. She watched the love grow in the people around her. Ghilad and Kaelira became practically joined at the hip and Naela and Talin had another two children in that time. Tally became their adopted auntie and she enjoyed playing with them and teaching them, watching them grow. She longed for children of her own, but she had to force her body to realise that was never going to happen now.
Seventeen years later and event happened which threw Tally's life into turmoil again. Ghilad and Kaelira were finally to marry and Legolas was returning to witness the ceremony. Tally had been rocking Lilael, Naela's baby girl to sleep when Kaelira came and broke the news. Outwardly Tally was calm and told the anxious elf that she no longer felt anything for him and smiled to let her know she was fine. Inside, Tally was a mess of jumbled emotions. Excitement, fear, joy, sorrow. She couldn't decide which she felt more, or was it love. Tally concentrated her energies on Naela's children and in throwing Kaelira and Ghilad a great wedding banquet so she could ignore the preparations for Legolas' homecoming.
